


Clinging to Hope

by dwarrowdams



Category: The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Battle of Five Armies, Gen, WHAT OF IT?, yeah I'm naming a chapter after the Merlin pilot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-08
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:27:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27949796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dwarrowdams/pseuds/dwarrowdams
Summary: As Smaug awakens, Swithun makes the difficult decision to set out to Dale in hopes of finding money for her struggling family, leaving Eadgyd and Eadgar in charge should she not return.
Kudos: 1





	1. The Dragon's Call

**Author's Note:**

> I decided to make Eadgyd's past even more difficult because I'm like that, but also it makes her much more badass (same for her mom, who just canonically died [at home, thankfully]). Also, it's a little tie to Tolkien canon, which I think is kind of nifty.
> 
> For reference, Eadgyd and Eadgar are 22 at this time, Avina is 17, and Frida is 9.

Eadgyd had heard stories of dragons, of how their roars echoed from miles away, but she never expected to hear one herself.

Yet the cry she heard that afternoon could not be mistaken for anything else. It was distant, thankfully, but there was no other creature in these lands that could make such a sound.

And to her knowledge, there was only one dragon that might have been awakened.

She ran back towards the house, leaving the firewood she’d been chopping in a haphazard pile as she called for her brother, who’d been preparing the garden for winter.

Eadgar came running towards her, his eyes wide with terror. “You heard, I take it?” 

Eadgyd nodded as she opened the door, gesturing for Eadgar to go in. “Mother?” she called.

Swithun emerged from a corner of the room, her quiver and bow slung over her shoulder. “I have been preparing for this day for ages, and now it is here,” she said.

She opened the chest in a corner of a room and pulled a pack out of it. “There,” she said.

“How long have you been preparing?” Avina asked as she looked up from the poem she was writing.

“I started a few years ago,” Swithun said. “I dreamt of it then—the dragon emerging and gold flowing down from the Mountain—but I knew not the date, so I figured I must be ready to go quickly.”

Frida crawled out from beneath the table, where she’d been watching Avina write for an untold amount of time. “Are you gonna fight the dragon, Mama?” she asked.

Swithun smiled shakily as she pulled her youngest daughter into a hug. “Hopefully not,” she said. “But now that Smaug has left the Lonely Mountain, things are going to change, and quickly. If I am there, perhaps I can curry favor with some of the right folk—and perhaps if we are lucky, I will bring home some gold for us.”

Frida’s eyes lit up at that possibility. “Does that mean I can stop wearing Eadgyd’s old clothes?” she asked eagerly.

“Not altogether, but yes,” Swithun said. “If I return with enough coin, you can pick out your very own dress.”

“Wonderful!” Frida cried, clapping with excitement. “I’m going to have something pink—or maybe yellow? Or perhaps a light green…”

“No need to decide just now,” she said. “We have plenty of time.”

Avina stood, pulling Swithun into her arms. “Be careful, Mother,” she said.

“You too,” Swithun said with false solmenness to Avina, ruffling her hair. “I know how much trouble you get into.”

Avina—who was unequivocally the most well-behaved of her siblings—laughed at that. “Better tell Frida to watch out too,” she teased. “She’s the one who always gets me in trouble.”

“I do not!” Frida insisted. “Sometimes it’s Eadgyd and Eadgar.”

“Well, I expect you all to behave yourselves when I’m away,” Swithun said to the four of them. “And take care. I don’t know how long I’ll be, but I hope to return before it’s too cold.”

Avina and Frida said their farewells, ushering Swithun to the door. She gave each of them one last kiss before turning to Eadgyd and Eadgar, beckoning for them to follow her outside. Once they were all out, she shut the door behind them.

“I have every intention of returning,” she said, “but if I do not, I leave the house and all that lies within it to you. You are both far stronger than you know, and I trust that you will take good care of your sisters should I perish.”

“But you won’t perish,” Eadgar insisted. “You’re the best archer and you have the eyes of an eagle.”

Swithun smiled as she leaned over to kiss Eadgar on the cheek. “I know. But no amount of practice can protect me from dragonfire.”

“Then let us go in your stead,” Eadgyd said. “We are young and accustomed to the difficulties of travel, and you have taught us some of the manners of city folk.”

Swithun shook her head sadly. “I would not allow you to put yourself in harm’s way like that,” she said. “It pains me to say, but the future holds much darkness for both of you. I would rather spare you what pain I can.”

Eadgyd nodded, barely holding back tears. She knew that her mother was strong, but she was now nearing forty-four winters and was unused to traveling. “Then if that is what you wish, I will remain,” she said before pulling her mother and brother into an embrace, leaning down to sob into her shoulder.

“Shh,” Swithun murmured, stroking Eadgyd’s hair. “I would not do this if our need was not so great, but it is. Things have been difficult since your father’s death and I fear that we cannot go on much longer as we are. This is never the life that we wanted for you, and I am sorry that you have spent so much of your youth gathering and hunting in hopes of us surviving another winter. But if all goes well, those days will be behind us.”

“I hope so,” Eadgar said, his voice cracking slightly. “I don’t want to get everyone sick again by picking the wrong berries.”

Both Swithun and Eadgyd chuckled at that.

“Then let us hope that I return,” Swithun said.

Eadgyd and Eadgar nodded solemnly at her words.

“Should you need money, look under the loose floorboard beneath my bed,” she said. “It is not much, but it will buy some food or seeds if you have need of either.”

She pulled the twins into her arms for one last hug. “I love you both so very much,” she said, her eyes brimming with unshed tears.

“We love you too, Mother,” Eadgyd murmured before she pulled away. Eadgar nodded as he wiped the tears now falling from his eyes.

Swithun nodded once more in farewell. “Take care,” she said. “And not just of your sisters—of yourselves as well.”

The twins nodded, raising their hands in farewell as their mother walked away, her form quickly disappearing over the horizon.


	2. Cider and Company

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eadgyd and Eadgar try to distract their sisters from their mother's absence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter starts off light but ends on kind of a heavy note.
> 
> Also, because I don't know when I'll get the chance to write about them again: Arnulf and Roderic are both warriors and eventually become in charge of training the young Beornings in new fighting styles (and helping the older ones who've become disabled but still want to fight how to adapt). They eventually become Arnulf of the Red-Shield and Roderic the Runner. Theodwin is their only kid (adopted from the Woodmen) and in contrast to his two very extroverted dads, is a quiet and withdrawn child who gets on surprisingly well with the bundle of combined-type ADHD energy that is Frida.
> 
> Anyways, now that I've just tossed this irrelevant information at you, onwards to the chapter!

Tomorrow would make a fortnight since Swithun’s departure.

They had all avoided talking about it, but Eadgyd could tell that Avina and Frida were beginning to fear the worst. Two weeks was not so long for a trip to the Lonely Mountain—not one that passed through Mirkwood—but an ordinary journey did not involve dragons. She and Eadgar had asked for what news they could from their closest neighbors, but they knew little more: only that trade from Esgaroth had slowed and that the Elvenking now prepared his armies for war.

None of it was a comfort, but Eadgyd was determined to do her best to distract her siblings from the foreboding questions that were inevitably swirling in their minds. She’d called Eadgar into the pantry so they could brainstorm ideas to distract everyone for a night.

“I’d make cakes or cookies, but we might need our flour for bread if…” Eadgyd trailed off, not wanting to finish the thought.

Eadgar nodded. “I actually thought we might make some mulled wine,” he said.

“Mulled wine?” Eadgyd asked. “Where on earth would we get wine from?”

“We still have some left from the summer,” Eadgar said as he began to scan the shelves. “At least I think so...Mother shoved it pretty far back in the pantry after last time…”

“The wine you made?” Eadgyd asked, pulling a face. “I’d rather not.”

Eadgar huffed. “Well, I don’t see you coming up with any better ideas!”

Wordlessly, Eadgyd reached onto one of the lower shelves and withdrew a jug of apple cider. “You were saying?” she said.

Eadgar sighed defeatedly. “Very well,” he said. “But can we at least mull it? I’ve been thinking about the taste all day.”

Eadgyd nodded, handing the jug to her brother as she put a pot over the fire and gestured for him to pour the cider into it. The two of them watched it carefully, adding spices as the cider gradually heated. A few minutes later, Avina poked her head into the kitchen, looking happier than she’d been in days.

“Mmm, what smells so good?” she asked.

“Mulled cider,” Eadgyd said. “We thought everyone could use a bit of warming up tonight.”

“What did you put in it?” Avina asked.

“Cinnamon and some cloves,” Eadgar said.

“Hmm,” Avina mused. “Can I try adding something else?”

Eadgar began to give his approval, but Eadgyd stopped him. “Just what are you planning to add?” she asked.

“Some allspice, perhaps?” Avina said. “And if we have any berries, some of those as well.”

“That sounds marvelous,” Eadgyd said. “Mind yourself, though—if it gets too hot, it’ll splatter on you.”

Avina nodded solemnly. With her older siblings’ help, she added some allspice and dried berries to the pot, not taking her eyes off of the mixture as she stirred.

“I don’t think you have to watch quite so closely, Vina,” Eadgar teased. 

“I know,” Avina said. “I just don’t want to ruin it.”

Eadgyd wrapped an arm around her younger sister. “You’re doing beautifully, dear,” she said. “In fact, would you like to be in charge of the cider? It seems you’ve more of a talent for it than Eadgar and I do.”

Avina nodded, beaming at the compliment. “I promise I’ll be very very careful,” she promised.

“Wouldn’t expect anything less,” Eadgar said as he ruffled her hair. “Have you seen Frida? I figured she’d come running at the smell like you did.”

“She’s still in our room playing a game,” Avina said. “Not sure she even noticed the smell—she was quite lost in whatever she was doing.”

“Sounds like someone else we know, hmm?” Eadgyd said, playfully elbowing Eadgar. Like her youngest sister, her brother had a tendency to become fully absorbed by certain tasks to the point that he would forget about all else.

“That’s why we’re both so brilliant,” Eadgar replied, puffing out his chest. “If she’s not out in half an hour, I’ll check on her.”

Eadgyd nodded as she took a seat at the table, keeping one eye on Avina. She was the most cautious of the four of them, but Eadgyd knew that accidents could happen and didn’t want her sister to be caught off guard by anything.

Eadgar sat beside her, placing his feet up on the chair beside him. “Seems all the time she spends studying plants is playing off,” he said. “I never would’ve thought to add allspice or berries.”

Eadgyd nodded. She and her brother were fighters to their cores, but Avina had a healer’s hands. She had always delighted in their garden and had started asking questions about the plants and their properties as soon as she was old enough to speak. She’d quickly exhausted the knowledge of her parents and older siblings and had turned to books and other adults to learn more about how to craft poultices and tinctures from plants. Her knowledge of plants had translated over to cooking and she was already a better cook at seventeen than Eadgyd was at twenty-two.

The sound of eager footsteps drew Eadgyd from her thoughts and she looked up as Frida entered the room, her hair badly mussed. “There you are,” Eadgyd said. “Done with your game?”

Frida nodded as she squeezed past Eadgar’s chair into the kitchen. “What’re you making?” she asked.

“Mulled cider,” Avina said proudly.

“Ooohh, do I get to have some?” Frida asked.

Eadgyd smiled, ruffling her youngest sister’s hair. “Of course you do, dear,” she said. “It’ll still have to heat for a while and then it’ll have to cool, but it’s meant for all of us.”

Frida poked her head over and looked into the pot. “There’s an awful lot in there for only four of us,” Frida pointed out. “Can Theo come over so he can have some? I haven’t seen him in ages.”

Eadgyd opted not to point out that what her sister thought of “ages” was scarcely a week. “Of course you may,” she said. “Ask his fathers if they wish to come as well—and let Eadgar fix your hair first.”

“Okay!” Frida said, standing before Eadgar. Her blonde curls were in a state, but Eadgar’s nimble fingers worked through the worst of the tangles and neatly plaited her curls, tying off the end with a leather cord.

Frida wrapped herself in her cloak and pulled the hood over her freshly braided hair. “May I go alone?”

Eadgyd and Eadgar shared a look. Normally, Frida was allowed to go to Theo’s house unsupervised—it was less than a quarter-mile away—but the two of them had grown warier these days.

“Oh please let me go!” Frida pleaded. “You can sit out and watch if you like so you know I’m not wandering off.”

“All right,” Eadgar said as he tossed Eadgyd her cloak. “But don’t tarry too long.”

Frida nodded and rushed out the door.

Eadgyd wrapped herself in her cloak and stood beside Eadgar outside, watching as Frida’s form disappeared over the horizon. She opened her mouth to ask her brother what they might do if their mother never returned home, but the words caught in her throat. Speaking it aloud made it seem all the more real, which was something that Eadgyd was not ready to face yet.

Besides, she had no doubt that the matter weighed as heavily on his mind as it did on hers.

Instead, the two of them stood in companionable silence, watching the world around them as they waited for Frida to return.

* * *

A while later, they saw Frida and Theodwin running towards the house with Theo’s fathers—Arnulf and Roderic—following a few paces back. Eadgyd raised her hand in greeting to the two men, who waved back.

Frida and Theo barrelled past them into the house. “Nice to see you too,” Eadgar said to them as he held the door for Arnulf and Roderic. They nodded their thanks and entered the house, hanging their cloaks beside the door and stomping the snow from their boots.

“Thank you for inviting us over,” Roderic said. “It seems this winter will be another difficult one, so I’m not sure how much we’ll get to see each other before the thaw.”

Eadgyd nodded as she hung up her and Eadgar’s cloaks as well as the one that Frida had discarded. “I just hope it doesn’t come before Mother gets home.”

A silence hung in the air for a few moments as they all thought about what might happen if Swithun didn’t return. Thankfully, it was broken by Theo running up to the table. “What smells so good?” he asked.

“Avina’s making some mulled cider,” Eadgar said. “It needs to warm for a bit longer, but we’ll be having it soon.”

Theo’s eyes lit up with joy as he ran back to Frida, apparently eager to tell her about the cider. Eadgyd smiled as she watched the two of them. “You’d think they’d gone more than a few days without seeing each other from the way they’re talking,” she said. 

Arnulf nodded. “Tis good that he has a friend, though,” he said. “We worried that Theo might struggle to make friends, especially since there are so few children in these parts, but he and Frida get along splendidly.”

Eadgyd laughed. “Frida can make friends with anyone and anything,” she said. “I’m not sure what it is about her, but I’ve found birds and squirrels eating out of her hand on more than one occasion.”

“She does have a way about her,” Eadgar said. “That’s probably why she causes the most mischief out of all of us and gets the least trouble.”

“Hang on now,” Roderic said, a grin crossing his face. “I seem to remember a certain thirteen-year-old lad hiding a raccoon in the pantry because he fancied having himself a pet.”

Eadgar huffed. “Well, Frida has her whole life to outdo me,” he said. “I’m sure she can manage it.”

“That would mean that you have to stop getting in trouble,” Eadgyd teased as she went to remove the cider from the fire, setting it on the counter. “You have thirteen more years of mischief than Frida. You’d better stop soon if you want her to have a chance of catching up with you.”

“But I’m still so young!” Eadgar insisted. “I still have so many years ahead of me!”

“Then I suppose there’s always the hope that Frida will outdo you with her troublemaking,” Eadgyd said as she took several cups from the cupboards. 

Frida looked up at the sound of her name. “But I’m being good!” she insisted.

“I know, dear,” Eadgyd said. “You’ve been marvelous—and if you keep being marvelous, maybe Eadgar will have to admit that he’s the troublemaker of the family.”

“Oh, hush,” Eadgar said, shoving his twin playfully. “Enough talk of troublemaking. We’re all in need of good cider and good company—now what should we do while we wait for the cider to cool?”

“Oh, let’s play charades!” Avina suggested. “I have so many good ideas!”

Frida and Theo agreed eagerly, seating themselves on the floor in front of Avina. Ever since Avina had discovered charades in some borrowed book, it had been a common source of entertainment for the family.

“We’ll join you all in a bit,” Arnulf said. “Roderic and I have some things to ask Eadgyd and Eadgar.”

Avina nodded in acknowledgment, but Frida and Theo were already too eager for the game to respond.

Arnulf gestured for Eadgyd and Eadgar to follow him and his husband into the kitchen. “Your mother told us of her plans,” he said once they were out of earshot of the children. “I tried to convince her not to go—I even offered her what money we have—but she refused. She said her need was too great and that she did not want to put the strain on us.”

Eadgyd looked at her brother, wondering how much she should say. Their mother had clearly wanted to avoid specifics, but Arnulf and Roderic were old friends and it felt wrong to keep such a thing from them.

“Tell us,” Roderic began, “is your situation truly so dire?”

After a long pause, Eadgar nodded. “Things have been...difficult since Father died,” he admitted. “Eadgyd and I have done our best to scavenge and hunt for what food we could, but we can do little in winter, especially when we have no more cloth for blankets or insulation. One difficult winter we could survive, but this is about to be our sixth, and I fear that Mother was right when she said we might not survive it.”

Roderic sighed, shaking his head in sorrow. “You two are far too young to bear so much,” he said. “You should be out dancing and drinking and wooing the attractive folk in Esgaroth and Bree and everywhere in between.”

“Hopefully we’ll still have time for that later,” Eadgar said, a grin briefly crossing his face. “But right now, we’d rather see our sisters warm and fed than indulge in our own decadence.”

Eadgyd nodded. “They deserve that, at least, and we’ll do whatever we can to keep Avina and Frida safe and warm and fed.”

“But you need not face all of it alone,” Arnulf said. “We are not wealthy, but we think of you as our own kin. If you have need of coin or cloth or anything else of the sort, please ask us rather than suffering.”

Eadgyd opened her mouth, about to decline, but was stopped by Eadgar’s hand on her arm. “Eadgyd,” he said, “we can’t afford to be proud.”

She nodded, fighting her urge to minimize their situation as she gestured for her brother to speak.

“We thank you for it,” Eadgar said. “We shall tell you if the need arises and once the thaw comes, Eadgyd and I will be more than happy to share the food we can hunt and gather with you.”

“And if Theo wishes to learn how to tell the edible berries and mushrooms from the poisonous ones, we will teach him,” Eadgyd said. “I know that he has no desire to hunt animals, but there are many other ways he can find food.”

Arnulf smiled. “I am sure he would enjoy that,” he said. “I never did have a knack for it—my eyesight may be keen, but I do not see colors properly, and make a poor forager because of it.”

“You ought to be grateful for it,” Roderic teased. “Had you not worn clothes that were so horribly mismatched when first we met, I might not have noticed you.”

Arnulf shoved him playfully. “If I’d managed to match my shirt and trousers, I’d have found some other way to catch your eye,” he said. “I’m just grateful that my lack of sartorial skills managed to do it for me.”

Roderic leaned over to kiss his husband on the cheek. “Enough solemnity for tonight,” he said. “Let’s join the children in their games.”

Eadgyd nodded. “Thank you—for everything,” she said. “We’re fortunate to have neighbors as kind as you.”

Arnulf waved her comment aside. “You’re as good as family,” he said, “and we’d never abandon our own, not even in the most difficult of times.”

Eadgyd murmured her thanks once more before the four of them joined the children at the fireside, leaving their cares aside for the moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter to go! Will the family survive the winter? Will Swithun return?
> 
> You probably know the answers to these questions, but I'm asking them because why the fuck not.
> 
> Also, keep your eyes peeled for a fic of Eadgar bringing a raccoon home because that idea has been a major source of serotonin for me in the past few months.
> 
> Please comment if you enjoyed!
> 
> Twitter: @_tenderqueer  
> Tumblr: dwarrowdams  
> TikTok: @tenderqueer


	3. Relief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As winter encroaches, Eadgyd continues to worry about her mother's fate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh wow, this piece was an absolute emotional roller coaster.
> 
> I had a lot of fun writing it, though, and I hope y'all enjoy reading it.

As the weather grew colder, Swithun’s absence began to weigh more heavily on Eadgyd’s heart.

Despite her persistent exhaustion, she’d had a difficult time sleeping the past few weeks. At first, she’d tried everything to get herself to rest, but now, she figured she may as well make some tea and prepare for another long day. She dressed quickly before going out to draw some water from the well, too worn to notice how cold it was. Before long, she’d have to bring something out to break the thin layer of ice that often formed over the well. It wasn’t a particularly tiresome chore, but with the other responsibilities that were about to fall on Eadgyd’s shoulders, the one task seemed like it might be too much. She signed heavily as she hauled the bucket back into the house.

When she returned, Eadgar was sitting at the table, twisting his hair into a knot at the top of his head. “Can’t sleep either?” he asked.

Eadgyd shook her head as she shut the door behind her. “I’m making tea,” she said. “Want some?”

Eadgar nodded. “Mind if I go for a run?” he asked. “I just need to get out.”

“Course,” Eadgyd said as she dragged the bucket to the kitchen and poured some water into the kettle. “It’ll be a while—the well was nearly frozen today.”

“Then hopefully I’ll be back just in time,” he said as he laced up his boots.

Eadgyd waved farewell to him as she added a bit of kindling to the fire. She’d have to gather some more before winter fully arrived—probably when she went out to chop firewood next. It wasn’t a difficult task, but like breaking the ice over the well, it weighed on her more heavily than normal.

She sighed, resting her head on the table and closing her eyes as she waited for the water to boil.

Unfortunately, her respite lasted only a few minutes. She soon heard footsteps approaching the door: ones that sounded solid and assured, as if the intruder figured that no one would be around to hear them. She got up and grabbed both of her handaxes before tiptoeing towards the door, careful to position herself so she couldn’t be seen from the windows. “Who goes there?” she said, raising the axe in her right hand. “If it’s riches you seek, you'll be sorely disappointed.”

A soft laugh came from the other side of the door. “That’s not what I seek at all,” it said.

Eadgyd would know that voice anywhere.

“Mother?” she said incredulously as she dropped her handaxes and opened the door.

Swithun nodded before pulling her daughter into an embrace. “I’ve come home,” she said tearfully. “And I’ve brought wonderful news. Is Eadgar up?”

“Out for a run, but he should be back soon,” Eadgyd said, blinking away her own tears. “C-come inside.”

Swithun entered, setting her bow and pack by the door. Eadgyd watched her carefully, looking for any sign of the news her mother brought as she picked up her handaxes and put them away.

Thankfully, she didn’t have to wait long. Swithun took a pouch from her belt and plunked it onto the table. Eadgyd’s eyes widened when she heard its contents jingle. “How…?” she gasped.

“Laboriously,” Swithun confessed. “I was not the only one who sought to reap the rewards, but I am better at moving unseen than most—and better at swimming. A good deal wound up in the lake or in rivers, but I managed to get enough that we shouldn’t have to worry for a long while.”

Eadgyd opened her mouth to speak, but only a sob of relief came out. “Thanks be,” she said tearfully. “I was scared, s-s-so scared…”

“Shhh, dear,” Swithun said as she took her eldest daughter into her arms. “You have been burdened with too much for someone so young, but you can rest now.”

Eadgyd continued sobbing into her mother’s shoulder for a long while, looking up only when she heard the door open. She heard the faint sound of Eadgar stomping the snow from his boots before walking into the kitchen.

“Mother?” he said, disbelief coloring his voice. “You’re home?”

“I’m home,” she said. “Now come and sit so I can hug you and your sister both.”

Eadgar sat beside her and Swithun pulled him into her embrace. “Thank you so much,” she said. “I know I have asked a great deal of you both, but now your only concern should be enjoying your youth.”

“That sounds wonderful,” Eadgyd said. “There’s still so much of the world that Eadgar and I haven’t seen yet.”

“Eadgyd, do you know what this means?” Eadgar asked. “We can finally go to Rohan!”

Eadgyd squealed with excitement. She and Eadgar had planned to go, but their family’s situation had kept them close to home the past few years, thus limiting their ability to travel. She was eager to get on the road again and see what other mysteries the world held.

“I do hope you’re not planning to leave now,” Swithun teased. “Winter is not the best time to travel, especially not as far as Rohan.”

“We’re not completely daft, Mother,” Eadgar said. “But as soon as the weather’s warm enough for travel, Eadgyd and I are setting off first thing.”

Eadgyd sighed in relief, feeling years of tension fall away. For the first time in ages, she and Eadgar could adventure with no care for anyone but themselves. They could stay away for as long as they wanted and do as they pleased as they explored the wide world.

She was snapped back to the present moment by the sound of sizzling. “Oh, the tea!” she cried as she rushed to remove the kettle from the fire. “I’d nearly forgotten.”

Eadgar got up to fetch mugs for the three of them, adding leaves to each mug as he set them on the table alongside the honey pot. Eadgyd added water, careful to leave extra room in Eadgar’s mug so he wouldn’t spill all over himself.

“Thank you, dear,” Swithun said as she stirred some honey into her tea. “It’s been far too long since I had a hot beverage.”

“I can imagine so,” Eadgyd said as she sat down and stirred honey into her own tea. “There’s more than enough water if you want another cup.”

“Slow down, darling—I haven’t even started on this one,” Swithun said as she blew on her tea to cool it. “Although once this one is cool enough to drink, I suspect I’ll want another one soon.”

Eadgyd nodded before leaning back in her chair and closing her eyes. “Well’s starting to freeze,” she said half to herself. “And I’ll need to chop more firewood soon: enough to last us a good while...and I suppose I should go out and see what food I can gather…”

She felt her mother’s hand rest over hers. “Rest for a while, dear,” she said. “You don’t have to worry like you used to. None of us do.”

“I know, Mother,” Eadgyd said, opening her eyes and giving Swithun’s hand a squeeze. “But I’ve worried for so long that I’m not sure I know how to not worry.”

“Well then, we’ll just have to learn together, won’t we?” Swithun said. “And don’t trouble yourself too much about firewood: this winter will be a cold one, but not so bad as last year.”

“Thanks be,” Eadgar murmured. “I can’t say I missed the nights when we all had to sleep in the kitchen because we couldn’t be far away from the fire.”

Eadgyd pulled a face as she remembered the nights she and her family had spent sleeping on the hard floor. She was used to Eadgar’s restlessness—the two of them had shared a room all their lives—but between that, Avina’s nightmares, Frida’s snoring, and her mother’s tendency to wake at the slightest noise, it had been difficult to get any rest.  
“Then I hope we’ll be able to go out on the nicer days,” she said. “After spending months inside last year, we were all raring for a fight by springtime.”

Eadgar opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the sound of footsteps from the hall.

“Eadgyd!” Frida’s voice called. “Why’re you up so early?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” Eadgyd teased as her youngest sister walked into the room, pushing a tangle of curls out of her eyes. “But look who’s here.”

Frida’s eyes lit up as she saw Swithun. “Mama!” she cried as she ran to her mother’s arms. “You’re back!”

“I am, sweetheart,” Swithun said as she pulled Frida into her arms. “I think you’ve gotten even taller since last I saw you.”

Frida grinned. “It’s ‘cause Avina’s helping with the cooking more,” she said. “Everything she makes tastes good.”

Eadgyd gasped in mock horror. “Such betrayal!” she teased as she ruffled Frida’s hair. “After all the meals I’ve cooked for you…”

“Oh, you’re not a bad cook!” Frida said. “It’s just...Avina knows exactly how to use the spices.”

“You have me there,” Eadgyd said, leaning down to kiss Frida’s head. “Maybe if you’re lucky, she’ll keep helping out now that Mother’s home.”

“I know I wouldn’t mind the extra help,” Swithun replied. “Your father was always the better cook out of the two of us. Tis good that his skills live on in Avina.”

“I hope she keeps cooking,” Frida said. “If she does, I’m going to grow up to be big and strong just like Eadgyd!”

“Look at you, insulting both Eadgyd and I before the sun’s up,” Eadgar teased. “Now sit. I’m going to get the hairbrush and fix your hair.”

He rushed off to his room and emerged a few moments later with the brush. Frida hopped up onto the chair beside him and let him work through the tangles that had made their way into her hair overnight.

As Eadgar brushed, Frida’s gaze fell on the pouch on the table. “What’s in there?” she asked.

Swithun grinned, jingling it slightly. “The fruits of my labor,” she said.

She opened the pouch, showing everyone its contents: nearly a dozen gold pieces surrounded by thrice as many silver pieces. “We do not have enough to live in luxury, but we can afford some small comforts,” she said.

Frida peered eagerly down at the coins. “Is it enough to buy me a new dress?” she asked.

“More than enough,” Swithun said as she wrapped an arm around Frida. “And I was fortunate enough to meet some merchants who promised me a decent price, so once the thaw comes, we’ll take a trip so you can pick out a new dress.”

Frida squealed with joy, her hands flapping about excitedly. “My very own dress!” she cried. “One that no one else has worn! The first dress just for me!”

“The first, but not the last,” Swithun said. “We may not be able to buy you new clothes all the time, but I do hope we’ll be able to do so now and then.”

Frida squeezed her mother with joy, letting out another squeal.

“Not so loudly now, dear,” Swithun said. “You don’t want to wake Avina.”

Frida sealed her lips and nodded. She knew as well as anyone that waking Avina before the sun was high in the sky would result in a day full of misery and griping.

“If she intends to sleep so late, she can get her own breakfast,” Eadgar said. “I may not be an excellent cook, but I can fry eggs and toast bread as well as any—assuming that sounds agreeable?”

Frida, Eadgyd, and Swithun all nodded eagerly.

“Excellent,” Eadgar said as he took out a loaf of bread and cut off several slices. “Avina really is missing out. We’ve got tea, good food, and Mother and she’s just sleeping the day away.”

“I can’t speak for the tea and food,” Swithun began, “but I don’t plan on going anywhere for a good while.”

“Excellent,” Eadgyd said, “because we need you just where you are.”

She pulled her mother and sister into an embrace before settling into her chair, listening to the familiar sound of butter sizzling in the skillet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I loved writing about the whole family together, so expect more stuff about them just being together (although maybe not with everyone, because once we factor in spouses and children, that's a lot of people).
> 
> Also, this is one of those tales that Swithun's grandkids eat up. She's never the one telling it (usually it's Eadgyd or Avina), but they love hearing about how their grandmother risked a dragon's wrath in hopes that they could have a better life.
> 
> Please comment if you enjoyed!
> 
> Tumblr: dwarrowdams  
> Twitter: @_tenderqueer  
> TikTok: @tenderqueer

**Author's Note:**

> Maybe it seems silly that Swithun would be like "oh, time to run towards the dragon for that cash money," but remember that she thought her family would literally die and starve, so she's desperate.
> 
> Please comment if you enjoyed!
> 
> Twitter: @_tenderqueer  
> Tumblr: dwarrowdams  
> TikTok (because I post Eadgyd content there sometimes): @tenderqueer


End file.
